Worldfund STEM Brasil, Mexico & Beyond

Through PPPs, Worldfund connects the official public school system curriculum in developing countries to project-based STEM activities. Online and in-person teacher training builds the connection between school, science practice, and real life, developing within students the technical and socio-emotional skills they need to compete in the workforce of the future.

To achieve the greatest impact, Worldfund STEM bolsters the technical training of the teachers who are inspiring the workforce of the future. Each teacher uses his or her new training to enhance the technical skills of hundreds of students annually - creating a multiplier effect. 

Worldfund STEM programs give teachers hands-on training in new techniques to enliven the state-mandated science and math curriculum. These techniques focus on project-based learning - the use of rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning. Students collaborate on projects and work together to solve problems using STEM, and the teacher facilitates.

Over two years, the 180-hour teacher training covers four subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Math. Workplace 21st Century Skills (managing information, problem-solving, communicating and networking) are incorporated in the learning activities for each subject. 

The strength of Worldfund STEM lies in the long term investment in human capital. In between the quarterly teacher training sessions, the teacher trainers and teachers continues communicating via Worldfund's Virtual Learning Community. The teachers share videos, photos and experiences, as well best practice ideas. 

Trainers visit each school to observe classes, interview teachers, students, and staff members, and above all else, help teachers with questions and concerns regarding the execution of Worldfund's STEM methodology and activities with their students. Teacher trainers give individualized assistance to the teachers to inspire added confidence, thus increasing the number of STEM activities they do with their students.

By way of example, Worldfund's STEM Brasil has grown from a pilot program to a change-maker in over sixteen Brazilian states, impacting nearly 500,000 students. The STEM activities can be seamlessly inserted into any school curriculum making the program easily scalable, and readily available to students who will already be attending school. The program's multiplier effect enables it to make tremendous positive change in the workforce of tomorrow. 

Students are not being armed with the skills necessary to compete in today’s economy. Rapid advances in technology have created a tremendous skills gap for workers, and left many employers unable to fill new roles. Most adversely affected are the students in underserved communities who often lack access to the education that will provide them with the science, technology, engineering, and math skills necessary to succeed. Without a robust STEM education program, these students are unable to acquire the requisite skills to participate in the 21st Century workplace. This skills gap perpetuates income disparities between the haves and have-nots.

Worldfund's STEM Brasil program sets the example. It currently trains 544 teachers in 68 schools. By December 2017, that program will have trained 4,058 teachers in its STEM methodology, impacting over 450,000 students in sixteen Brazilian states.

Worldfund measures the impact of the STEM program. Questionnaires and surveys are administered to schools, PCNPs, teachers, students and parents for direct feedback throughout the two-year program in participating schools. Additionally, Worldfund monitors performance on state and federal science and math standardized tests. Worldfund-trained schools measured an average improvement of 28% in students’ scores every year.

Worldfund STEM's overarching goal is to dramatically improve science and math teaching standards in public high schools. Ultimately, Worldfund wishes to prepare disadvantaged students for college and encourage them to enter the fields of science, technology and engineering. By helping students secure the jobs of the future, Worldfund will help to bridge the income disparities that exist today. 

training attendance - # teachers trained

school visits - # students impacted

students tests analysis - grades increase

Worldfund's STEM programs are integrated into the daily school activities of public school students unlike most other STEM programs that are only extracurricular. Additionally, through our exclusive on-line platform (CAV), teachers from all over Brazil and Mexico build a community where they can share best practices and feel inspired by each other's work. By seeing that other teachers successfully implement the new methodology, they feel empowered to promote the same change in their schools. 

Worldfund is committed to creating a school ecosystem that allows students to create their own tech-based solutions for problems around them. The whole idea of having STEM connected with project-based learning in their regular Science and Math classes is to make students apply their time in school to finding low-cost, innovative and creative approaches to solving problems in their communities. The students become empowered to use tech, science, and math to both create and execute their solutions. 

Worldfund partners with governments and private corporations and foundations to promote capacity building for public school teachers and to equip schools with low and high tech materials that will allow students to work on their projects. 

Worldfund programs are supported by private donors, corporate partnerships, foundational grants, and some local government funding. To perpetuate programs, Worldfund actively seeks out additional grants each year, is building out its fundraising team, and negotiates with local and federal governments to further support its programs that are measurably impacting their state's students.

Worldfund STEM has already experienced tremendous success in scaling STEM  Brasil  in public high schools throughout over two-thirds of Brazilian states with the support of a pool of companies and foundations. Worldfund is set to expand its STEM program to Mexico in 2018 with Boeing Latin America's support. 

In Brazil and in Mexico, federal and state governments have already opened doors for us to implement our programs. All we need now is more partners to jump on board. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEDPZdnc42M

https://www.facebook.com/stembrasil/

Worldfund has proudly designed, tested, validated and implemented a scalable solution for public education systems to enhance the quality of their Science and Math teachers. Our students might be underprivileged in the social economical sense, but at school they become empowered young people exercising their problem solving skills, which will be useful for their careers as future employees or entrepreneurs. 

Worldfund aims to scale its STEM program to new countries, specially across Latin America, and hopes to count with Solve network to find new interested and committed individuals, companies, foundations and governments. 

• Instituto de Corresponsabilidade pela Educação
• Shell
• Boeing Latin America
• Instituto de Qualidade no Ensino
• Moody's Latin America
• Bloomberg LP
• Instituto Sonho Grande
• Instituto Natura

STEM Brasil and STEM Mexico are the only program of its kind in their respective countries.